er11. LXXXVII. The TruthofGod. 659 quired, God will bellow the Bleflings promifed, It it a faithful Paying, for ifwe bedead with him, we alfo (hall live with him ; if tee fifer, we alfo /hall reign with him; but if we deny him, the Curfe threatned will then take place, andhe shill de ny us;; and God is not unfaithful in doing this, hedoes not denyhimfelf. Now if we have fuch affurande, we may truft him with out greateft Concern- ments, and venture our Souls with him, Pfal. 3t. S. Into thy hands 1 commit my f irit, 0Lord God ofTruth. We fhould rely upon him, when there are the great- eft improbabilities of the accomplifhment of his Prómifes. Thus did Abraham, Rom. 4. 17. &e. This fhould allo make us patient in hope ; if a Promife be not fjteedily acconi- plüh'd, we fhould not be dejeûed or difquieted. Davidchallengeth himfelf up- on this account, Pfal. 41. t t. Whyart thou call down, 0 íny Soul ? andwhy art then difluieted within me? hope thou in Gôd ; for I.(hall yet praiféhim, who is the health of my countenance, andmy God. And fo likewife in reference to the Rewards of another World, tho' at a diftance, yet we fhould, as the Apoftle fpeaks, twit for the bled hope. Fourthly, TheTruth of God is matter of terror tò the Wicked. All the threat- nings of Temporal Evils may juflly be expeûed, becaufe their Sins deferve them, and there is no Condition implyed in them, upon which thou canft reafonably hope for the avoiding or abating of the Evils threatned, but of Humiliation and Re- pentance ; and if notwithflanding thefe threatnings thou continueft in thy Sins, and blefefl thy felf, faying, I ¡hall have peace, tho' thou walk in the imaginations of thyheart, by this very thing thou provokeft the luliice of God not to fpare thee, and makeft his wrath and hisjealoufte to fmoke againfl thee ; and if thou continueft impenitent, however he may defer the executionof temporal Evils, his Truth and Veracity is concerned toinfliét Eternal Punifhments upon thee ; for he hath (worn in his wrath that fuch (hall not enter into his refl. Fifthly, Let us propound to our felves the truth of God for our pattern and imitation. Would you be like God ? be true and faithful. Truth and Faithfulnefs are Divine Ferfellions ; but Lying and Falfhoodare the Properties of the Devil, and the predominant qualities of Hell. The character of the Devil is, that he abode notin the truth, and ihere is no truth in him, when he fpeaketh a lie 'tis of his own, for he is a Lyar and the Father' of it. John 8.44. One of the firft and molt natural Notions that we have of Religion is, that it is to imitate God, and to endeavour to be like him, fo far as we are capable; and to contradiâ any of the Divine Excellencies and Perfeetións is the higheft Sin, becaufe it is againft the cleareft Diâates of our Mind, aixl contrary to thofe Principles which are moll deeply rooted in our Nature. No Man can be Cruel and Unmerciful, Falle and Treacherous, without a very high degree of guilt, be- caufe thefe Sins are contrary to the chiefeft and moll effential Perfeetions ofGod. Lying is a Sin that would fly in the Face of an Heathen, becaufe it directly con- tradicts thofe Natural Notions which every Man hath of God and Religion therefore we find that there is hardly any thing that Men are more afhamed of than to be taken in a Lie, and 'tis efleemed the higheft reproach to be charged with it, it argues fuck a direct contrariety to that which is the Rule of Perfe.: âion, the Nature ofGod, and confequently fo much imperfe&ion and bafenefs. He that tells a Lie out of fear, is at once bold towards God, and bafe towards Men. Upon there accounts God exprefl°eth himfelf highly offended with thofe that praátife Lying and Falfhood, and to have a deteftation of them, Pro. t z. a z. Ly- ing Lips are an abomination to the Lord. It renders us unlike to him, Epb. 4. 24e aS. Put on thenew Man, which after God is created in Rigbbteoufnefs and true Holi- nefs (or in the Holinefs of truth.) And from hence he infers, Whereforeputting . away lying, fpeak every Man truth with his Neighbour : for we are members one of another. Col. 3. 9, so. Lie not one to another, feeing that ye haveput off the old Man with his deeds : And have put on the newMan, which is renewed in knowledge, after the image ofhim that created him : that is, becaufe we profefs to be confor- med to the image of God. More particularly, we fhould charge our felves with truth and faithfulnefs towards God and Men, P p p p z t-. Towards
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